Should this be allowed?

[Susie]

I was bimbling about on the interwebz just now when I came across this page. http://www.wwb.co.uk/summer-pupae-you-c ... nce?page=3 If you scroll down you'll see that you can buy three mated brown hairstreaks butterflies which will be sent to you next summer. Doesn't seem very ethical to me, but maybe I'm just being a tad squeemish.

What do you think?

[Pete Eeles]

I'm not sure how adult butterflies are typically transported but, assuming this isn't detrimental to the butterflies (and I assume it isn't, otherwise this wouldn't be offered!), and that the post is super-efficient, then I guess I don't see any difference between transporting adults and transporting larvae. Both are clearly better off flying or feeding on growing foodplant respectively. And the ability to successfully transport adult butterflies is probably species-dependent. So I guess I think there's a more general question of whether livestock (whatever the stage) should be sent around in this manner. My own experience is that anyone sending livestock treats it with the utmost care.

Why do you think it's unethical Susie?

Cheers,

- Pete

[essexbuzzard]

I too are not entirely at ease with this sort of thing,i think you would have to be something of an expert,with lots of experiance of breeding butterflies,to keep adults happy in the confines of a cage.
I'm not against breeding alltogether,i have even myself bred the odd cabbage white or whatever,and it is an enjoyable thing to do. But the adults that emerge tend to spend all their time banging and crashing themselves against the sides of a cage, before release.
So how would you stop this,and encourage them to lay eggs,i wonder?

[Susie]

I guess I find it unethical because I think butterflies should have space to fly. In my imagination I can only think that if they coup these beautiful creatures up in a confined space and when they get to their destination they will have beaten their wings to bits. That wouldnt be the case with eggs, caterpillars or pupae.

[John W]

Mind you it does say availability July/Aug 3013 so purchasers will have quite a wait

[P.J.Underwood]

Over recent years,I have received Queen bees,worker bees,and tiger worms through the post.They all arrived in good condition.Dogs,cats and birds are constantly sent off in small boxes or cages.I think one can still send slides of suspected Anthrax through the post.My comment is what a good postal service we have!
P.J.U.

[Cotswold Cockney]

If you have experience of this subject and are resourceful, all stages of livestock can be transported with very little if any harm to the living stages, even the imagines. Not for many years now, but, I have sent and received butterfly livestock in various stages to all parts of the globe and in the majority of cases, have been delighted with the results.

With much improved courier services available today compared to when I regularly was involved, things are much better now and they were very good then.

Transportation of much larger commercial livestock can be of a much greater concern.

P.S. The owner of that organisation used to be a regular client of mine many moons ago. Quite recently, I was approached and asked if I could supply Apatura iris livestock. I have not advertised for over twenty five years since when I wound down my livestock operations. Yet previous clients still contact me with enquiries many years later.

Orders will be sent to our specialist breeders ....

A mere £16 for three gravid females is exceptional value even though maintaining a succession of broods of this easy to breed insect is extremely time consuming. The financial logistics do not equate in my experience unless it is a labour of love.